Sunday, December 30, 2012

JUST HALF KILLOMETRE DOWN THIS BRIDGE
IN AHARBAL VALLEY LIES THE GREATWATERFALL.THISRIVER IS KNOWN AS VESHAV AND IT JOINS VITASTA OR JHELUM AT SANGAM
BRIDGE NEAR BIJBIHAARA IN KASHMIR .
TO THIS PHOTO I ADD A POEM OF KURDISH SHERKO BEKAS

This is how Kalhana
describes king lalitaditya’s love for cherries of Kashmir .Lalitāditya Muktapīda (reign 724 -760 CE) was a Emperor of the Karkota dynasty (625-1003 CE) from Kashmir.

Though cherries can be found in Himachal , UP and
Uttarakhand , Kashmir remains home to
quality cherries produced in the country .Cherries require cold climate and
are successfully grown in areas ranging
from 2000 to 3000 metres above sea level . In kashmir the ripening time of this
fruit is mid May to mid June and heavy rains during this period may cause fruit
cracking . Cultivation in Kashmir is confined
generally to hilly areas on sloppy lands
of Tangmarag , shopian , Ganderbal and
Budgaam areas . The fresh fruits are
picked with stem when the outer color changes from green to red . This fruit is
known as GILAAS in Kashmir.

In Kashmir the fruit is now
packed in cardboard boxes with adequate ventilation before being sent out of the state .The boxes
are in the range of 1 kg to 5 kgs. Red cherries are full of antioxidants and have a powerful pain
relieving property. Cherries also contain Vitamin A , Vitamin C, Fiber ,Manganese
and other useful compounds that
can also fight insomnia and Jetlag.

To my readers I want to say something about the varieties of
cherries grown in Kashmir.

1 DOUBLE GILAAS (BIGARREAU
NAPOLEON )

This variety is large sized and attractive with cream red
colour . The flesh is firm and juicy but a little acidic. It has a shelf life
of 5- 6 days ordinarily. It is good for canning ad dessert purposes.

2 GILAAS MAKHMALI ( GUIGNE POURPERA PECOCE)

This is the early May variety . It is medium sized light red
colourd and lesser fleshy than the double Gilaas .The flesh is juicy , sweat
with acdic tinge. It is a good dessert variety.The shelf life of this vaiety is
also 4-5 days ordinarily.

3 GILAAS MISHRI (BIGAREAU NOIR GROSA
)

This is the king variety. Large sized, red in colour with
firm skin . The flesh is totally sweet and juicy. The shelf life of this variety
is 15 days ordinarily. It is a mid June variety .

( This is an old kashmiri lullabay which a mother sings to the infant in her lap. A Mama or mother's brother is a very important relation . In kashmir the bonding between a Mama and children of his sister is stronger than the bonding between father and the children. A Mama has important role to play in taking care the infants of his sister till they grow .)

Saturday, December 22, 2012

'' Emperor Akbar visited kashmir three times . Once he brought his finance minister Raja Todar Mal with him who camped at village Pattan and measured the whole land to settle the revenue."From "Kashmir Through Ages "by Gwasha Lal Kaul.Ain e Akbari also confirms that Emperor Akbar visited kashmir three times via Pir Panchal .

Rajtarangani of Jonaraja confirms Emperor Akbar ‘s vist to
Mattan town as under:-

“ He came from the city of Lahora in order to see the country . On fifth
bright lunar day of Ashaadha he arrived with his army in the capital of
kashmira .On the seventh bright lunar day of that month he pleased the Brahmans
boys with gifts of gold and they blessed him. He then went to Marttanda (
Mattan Teertha ) and gave cows adorned with pearls and gold to Brahmanas .
jaylalldina ( jalal Ud din Akbar ) was a great benefactor of Brahmins . Truly a
Vikramaditya .Ramdasa his servent gave one hundred pieces of silver and also
pieces of gold to every house of Brahman. He also distributed fifty thousand pieces
of silver among poor Brahmans. The emperor then ordered shikhaphaija to take
one thousand pieces of silver and distribute it among Brahmans and beggars who
dwelt in villages and woods respectively. .”

. I need to clarify as under ….

I have lived in Mattan for about 3 years from 1987 to 1989
in my capacity as Manager of a Bank Branch . During this period I have
personally visited almost all places in and around the town and collected a lot
of material.

Firstly I need add that The picture in the post is of
Mattan Naag or Martand spring . This is a Teertha for Hindus especially for
performing Shradaa (Homage to dead parents or grand parents ). This particular
place finds mention in NEELMAT PURANA as well as MAHABHARATA as MARTANDA
. This is not to be confused with Lalitaditya’s GrandSunTemple located 2 kms from
this Teertha in village Ranbirpora and proximal to village Wantraag..This
entire area was known as SURYA- KSHETRA Or the region of the sun god.

.It must be also known that the Jonaraja entrusted the
manuscript of his Rajtarangini to his trusted pupil Srivara who updated it upto
1486 AD . It was further entrusted to Prajyabhatta and shuka who completed the
book upto Akbar’s visit to Kashmir .
This entire manuscript was in one book which was finally translated to English
from Sanskrit by A Bengali scholar Jogesh Chandra Dutt and published in 1879 AD
by Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal and sold as ‘ RAJTARANGINI OF JONARAJA ‘ by
Jogesh Chandra Dutt . what I have written is from pages pages 416 to 427 of
this book..

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

This is Ziyarat of Mirza Kamil
Sahib or Mirza Akmal Ud Din Sahib Badakhshi( 1642-1717 AD )at Hawal srinagar
.Mirza sahib's forefathers hailed from Tashqandh area of central Asia . They came to India via Badakhshan during the
reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. Malik Mohd Khan Baig was actually Mir Munshi of
Emperor Shah Jahan. Malik Mohd Khan Baig happened to be the great Grand father
of Mirza Akmal ud Din. Mirza sahib’s Grand father Malik Adil Khan came to Kashmir with emperor Shah Jahan and decided to
permanently settle over here .

Mirza Kamil sahib was born in
1642 AD . At the age of twelve ,he directly came under the influence of Local
elderly saint Makhdoom sahib and became his trusted disciple .Abandoning his
official status , Mirza sahib engaged himself in study of religious scriptures
more specifically persian Mystical poets. Mirza Sahib had beautiful handwriting
and was a known calligrapher of his time . He authored several books on Islamic
Tassavuf or Mysticism .He also wrote poetry in persian. His long poem Bahr ul
Irfan ( ocean of mysticism ) follows the style of Maulana Rumi .The poem
consisting of thousands of verses with discourses on Mysticism , is considered
as greatest contribution to Persian literature from kashmir.
Mirza sahib was also a sufi poet though much of what he wrote in kashmiri has been lost.One of his poems still sung in sufiana Mehfils goes like this;
" Baalie Hayee rum Rumai -Chhum Yaara Choan Tamanaa "
He was also a
saint of high order given to simple living with a strong belief in service to
mankind. Mirza sahib Breathed his last in the year 1718 A. D . He is revered by
kashmiris as a saint of high order.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Truxors imported from Switzerland to restore glory of the DALLAKE.
in Kashmir

Truxors are state of art machines
that are used for cutting
and dredging under water growth even in swamps and narrow channels .
These machines can be used on land as well as on water . TRUXOR can also
be used for restoration of blocked water ways .The machines cut
abnoxious weeds . Every Truxor has attachments to undertake more water
management jobs . LAWDA ( lake and water
ways Development Authority ) has also procured two Water Master Machines from Finland
for cleaning Dal lake . We also see de-weeding work being done manually in the
lake . Root Millers , choppers and
skimmers are being considered by LAWDA
for speeding up the cleaning process .

A good news for all kashmiris.

I have visited almost all the interior parts of the lake during 2009 to 2012 and have observed as under:-

(a)The Algal Blooms have a malignant growth in
the entire lake periphery and need to
be attacked more vigorously . The Bigger Dal on HazratBal side is totally choked with this
wild growth .

(b)The roads , buildings and
the Unauthorized habitation within the lake needs to be cleared sympathetically to stop water pollution in the lake . House
Boats need to be shifted to the Bay proposed . Can it be done ?

(c)The canal system link of Smaller Dal and Hazratbal
Dal and Nigeen lake needs to be cleared of all vegetation , unauthorized
habitation , floating gardens and
land masses created for growing vegetables.

(d)Fish and fisheries development
programme needs to be kept in focus once cleaning has been done.

(e) Silt coming to the lake from
Telbal Nallah needs to be stopped from
slipping to the lake waters once for all .

All of us do agree shall agree that the lake size has shrunk .
The lake has undergone morphometric changes . There is a change in the water
chemistry of the lake. The condition of lake area near Hazrat Bal shrine is
simply pathetic .

Well begun by LAWDA is not half
done . But hope still keeps us happy that one day every Kashmiri shall see Hazratbal shrine clearly from NehruPark bank of the lake
.The conservation rate has to be faster than the deterioration rate .

Sunday, December 16, 2012

A VIEW ENROUTE KISHTWAAR. THE MIGHTY CHENAB LIES SWOLLEN DUE TO BAGLIHAAR DAM NEAR
RAMBAN.

PHOTO Autar Mota

One of the major entry passes to Kashmir valley from
Kishtwaar side is known as SIMTHANPASS. The pass is about
3748 metres in altitude and shortly we shall be having regular Public Transport
facility to Kashmir from this side . A
motorable road connecting Kishtwaar with kokernaag is complete now.. After
crossing this pass , one can straightway come to Kokernaag area of Kashmir. SimthanPass is about 8 km from Chhatroo and
72 km from Anantnag.ThePass falls on
Batote-Kishtwar-Anantnag NH1B.

Prior to this link ,a person had to cover 290 km. to reach
Kishtwar via the Srinagar-Jammu highway and the Srinagar-Simthan-Kishtwar road
reduced the distance by 200 km. But presently Only a few light vehicles from
South Kashmir to Kishtwar ply on a daily basis and the pass shall close soon
after the first snowfall in this area.The state government is exploring the
possibility of construction of a tunnel on this route.While the BRO has
proposed a six-km.-long tunnel between Pahalgarh and Ahlam Gadole, the State
government would like to have a four-km.-long tunnel from Singhpora and
Vailoo.That shall keep the road open for 365 days and provide an all weather
connectivity from this side to kashmir valley .

WELL KNOWN BHARATANATYAM EXPONENT RAMA VAIDYANATHAN DANCES
IN SKICC SRINAGARKASHMIR
IN JUNE 2012

To this photograph I add my brief story on LATE KEDAR SHARMA
and his movie CHITRALEKHA..

Some time in early 1950, Pandit Jawahar lal Nehru Summoned
Kedar sharma ( 1910-1999 ) noted writer , Director ,Actor , Photographer ,
Producer and lyricist of Indian cinema to his official residence in New Delhi . Pandit ji had
liked dialogues and songs that Kedar Sharma wrote for DEVDAS in 1936 . Pandit
ji had also liked the song “Baalam Aan Baso More Mun Mein”. Pandit ji had also
liked another song “ Sun Bairi Balam Such Bol Re Ib Kyaa hogaa ” from his movie
Baawre Nain ( 1950 ) . This song was also written by Kedar Sharma.

“ kedar ji I appreciate your skills. I have a project in
mind . I want you to take over as Director in Chief of Children’s Film Society
.”

“ Thanks . I am grateful ”

‘’Kedar Ji , I do not know why writers from our country do
not attempt at learning more Languages . Urdu writers should learn Hindi at
least and Hindi writers should learn Urdu at least . I believe that a writer
adds dimension to his thought if he knows more and more languages.’’ Pandit
Jawahar Lal Nehru

“I fully endorse your views . While we try to learn English
the language that is spoken in Europe ,we tend
ignore Hindi or Urdu that is spoken by our next door neighbour. ” Kedar Sharma

“ Look ! Alberuni who visited India happened to be quite
proficient in Sanskrit apart from Turkish and his mother tongue Arabic . And in
Hindi we have Amir Khusro who was equally proficient in Persian . we also have
many Hindus who have contributed to the field of Urdu and Persian literature. I
am sure there must be many writers who are skilled in more than one language
spoken in our country . I am not including English .I would like you to Bring
such people to films .” Pandit Ji

“ We have some such people in this Industry . We have a
Muslim lyricist from Punjab . This gentleman
remembers almost entire Gurbaani or Hymns from Guru Granth sahib . He is quite
proficient in Hindi as well . I want to utilize his talent in some project . ”
Kedar Sharma

“ That is fine . ” Pandit Jawahar lal Nehru.

And in 1964 , the project was launched by kedar Sharma with
his movie CHITRALEKHA . Sahir Ludhianavi was brought in to write some memorable
songs in chaste Hindi like ..

(a) Mun Re Tu kaahe na dheer Dhare

(b) Sansaar Se Bhaage phirtay Ho

(c) Kaahe Tarsaaye Jiyaraa

And also my faourite “

“Aaj sakhi Pee daaloongi me

Darshan jal Ki Boondh Boondh

Me To Apnay Rasik Ko

Nainon mein Rakh Loongi

Palkein Moondh Moondh

AeyRi

Aey Ri jaane naa Doongi ”

Music director Roshan did wonders for the project. And for
this composition , Roshan has possibly used RAAG KEDAR . I am not sure but
after having heard this RAAGA sung by Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahib and
kishori Amonkar , I have formed this opinion. May be I am incorrect .The movie
was not a commercial success but the trend was set . And Pandit ji could not
live to appreciate Sahir’s Hindi ..talent .

(Autar Mota )

Friday 14th November
2012. Time 11.50 PM… Good night

Source

1 write ups in Hindu newspaper published from chennai .

2 Articles on kedar Sharma in various magazines .

And

3 “The One and Lonely Kidar Sharma ” published posthumously
in 2002, edited by his son Vikram Sharma.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Walking on The Bund near GPO Srinagar , I found that a new
restaurant had come up on the island created by Jhelum
river diversion. Crossing the diversion canal through a small foot bridge , I
enter a beautiful garden with green grass and rows of flower beds . Trees .
Shade . Chairs . Tables . Tourists ; local and Europeans sipping Tea , coffee
and enjoying Veuth Rooz Pakaan ( silent Flow of river Jhelum
).Enter PEERZOO JHELUM RIVER BANK RESTAURANT .Elegantly built
structure on river bank in wood with main hall , Counters , Riverside galleries
, A landing Ghaat for Speed Boats (meant for down and up river ride along all
the seven bridges of srinagar city ). A spot Just near the Erstwhile Grindlay’s
Bank Ghaat of river Jhelum . This restaurant
is adequately fenced to create a garden like ambiance .Wonderful concept of a
restaurant on Jhelum Bank. One can see presentation convent school clearly on
otherside of the river while sipping tea in the Khatambandhi roofed Gallery of
this stylish restaurant. My pictures convey the remaining details .

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Photographs Autar Mota ( From top to bottom :- First five photographs were taken at Sugandesh Temple ruins and last three were taken at Shankara Gaurisa temple ruins )

“Thereupon the Chamberlain Rattanvardhana laboured and made
Sankarvarman the son of Avantivarman , the king.”

( Taranga 5 Canto 128 Rajtaringini )

“By him the daughter of the illustrious Swamiraja , the lord
of the northern region, named Sughandha was the beloved as is the night of full
moon by the moon”

( Taranga 5 Canto 157 Rajtaringini )

“In association with her , in that fine town , the king who
was comparable to the king of gods , constructed SANKARA GAURISA and
SUGHANDESHA”

(Taranga 5 Canto 158 Rajtarangini )

“ A Brahmin named Nayaka , learned in four Vedas who was the
noble of the shrine of the goddess of
speech , was placed in charge of the two temples of SIVA ”

( Taranga 5 Canto 159 Rajtaringini )

“Thus the petty minded king , in order to make his own city
celebrated , carried away everything belonging to Parihaspora :”

( Taranga 5 canto 160 Rajtaringini )

“Cloth weaving , sale and purchase of live sock and similar
things which were the basis of fame of Pattana were once in that city . “

(Taranga 5 canto 162 Rajtaringini )

This is the story of
two temple complexes on Srinagar Baramulla road known
as PAANDAV LAARIE (PANDVA’s ABODE
) by people over here . Thanks to
kalhana , the story of the temples known as SUGANDESH and SANKARA GAURISA is well documented in
Taranga 5 of his monumental work
Rajtaringini.. The temples are located at village PATTAN on
right side of main highway once
you go from srinagar
to Baramulla .

Inspite of neglect ,
they still catch your eye even if you
move past them in a bus or car or any other mode of transport . The temples
were laid by king Sankarvarman who succeeded
his father king Avantivarman and reigned from AD 883 to 901AD . In fact he tried to do what his father had
done by laying similar temples at Awantipora . Both the temples had outer stone
wall and a central Shiva temple with
sanctum Sanctorum. The temples are in big stones and resemble MARTAND style of temple architecture of kashmir .The area used to be called PATTANA as per Kalhana and later came to be known as
Sankarapura .Both the temples were
dedicated to Mahadeva or shiva by the king .Sankarvarman built his
kingdom's capital in Sankarpura ( Pattan ) . The temples were laid in conjunction
with his queen Saugandha . This queen
was executed during the reign of king PARTHA ( 906-921 AD) who had come under the influence of TANTRINS
.The temples are about 300 metres apart
and beautiful gardens have been laid
presently beside these
monuments by Archeological survey of India
. Both are protected monuments . While SUGANDESHTemple
structure is in a larger
area , SANKARA GAURISA temple is close to the town and has a Tonga stand
near it. I visited both the monuments
thrice in 2009. All the six photographs
at the top of this post relate to SUGANDESH while below uploaded four photographs were
taken by me in and around SANKARA GAURISA
. Some parts of the Sankara
Gaurisa temple, including the colonnade,
the temple plinth and a small shrine in the northeast corner, have sunk into
the ground due reason of its long
neglect. The entrance to the Sankara-Gaurishwara temple is through the square
space in the middle of the eastern path.
There are various images in the lower and larger panels of this Temple structure. Most of
the European travelers to kashmir saw these temples in bad shape almost as
ruins in total neglect . According to Lawrence:-

"There are many
ominous cracks on the walls , and if the forest trees which have taken root in
these crevices are allowed to remain and
spread , the destruction of both the buildings is imminent . "

( see page 125 of the valley of kashmir
)"

kalhana records that sankarvarman practically took
everything from Parihaaspora ( a city built by our illustrious king Lalitaditya nearby these temple structures ) to build his new capital at PATTAN.It took me
some time to take inner views of SHANKARA GAURISA temple . .

“Sir I shall tell them nothing . These young men think that
we elders are a stone in their path . As if we can neither think nor
understand. Just Fools . ”

That is what Abdul Salam the tonga owner from Tonga stand outside the Shankara
Gaurisa told me . Infact I wanted to
take some pictures of the monument but I
found two boys and a girl sitting inside the monument in a posture
that made me feel ashamed . They noticed
me but ignored my physical presence . Having failed to seek help of Abdul Salam
, I went again and requested them that I wanted to take a photograph and
would be pleased if they could move to
one side for just two minutes . One of the boys turned to me and said smilingly
,

On My return from
these monuments i told my driver as to how rapidly values have changed in Kashmir . He agreed and blamed the younger generation. I do not
blame youngsters alone . I hold a firm belief that Kashmir
can produce many many Fayaz shawls ,
Mohd Sultan Khuroos and Agha Shahid Alis .
I have found the new generation of kashmiri children sharp , intelligent
and sincere. They need a direction and environment .